Portable extendible crane with work basket

ABSTRACT

A power extendible crane boom and ladder having a depending work basket pivoted to a yoke extension on the end of the boom and including adjustable bracing and safety ladder means between the crane and basket in all positions.

United States Patent 1 Hippach 1 Jan. 16,1973

[54] PORTABLE EXTENDIBLE CRANE WITH WORK BASKET [75] Inventor: Wilburn L. Hippach, San Gabriel,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Bliss & Laughlin Industries, Incorporated, Oak Brook, Ill.

[22] Filed: June 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 154,975

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 846,825, Aug. 1,

1969, Pat. No. 3,638,806.

[52] US. Cl. ..182/2, 182/67, 182/106 [51 1 Int. Cl. ..E06c 5/06, E066 7/16 [58] Field of Search ..l82/2, 66, 67, 106, 141, 148

[561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,936,848 5/1960 Hall ..l82/66 3,010,533 11/1961 Ross ..l82/2 3,385,398 5/1968 Gamett.... ....l82/67 3,534,868 10/1970 Eitel ..l82/2 3,451,504 6/1969 Logan .l...l82/2 3,584,703 6/1971 Lane ..l82/2 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Att0rney--Watson D. Harbaugh et al.

[57] ABSTRACT 13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 16 I975 SHEET 1 OF 2 //v VEN TOR: W/LBURN L. H/PPA 6H M A from eys PATENTEDJAN 16 I975 3.710.893

SHEET 2 OF 2 Attorneys PORTABLE EXTENDIBLE CRANE WITH WORK BASKET RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of Hippach, Ser. No. 846,825 filed Aug. 1, 1969 now US. Pat. No. 3,638,806.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION l The working conditions and environment to which a workman in a boom basket is subjected on a crane boom are many and varied, including some pitching and yawing with boom movement. On the other hand, the advantages of a workman in a boom basket operating the crane are substantial. Such include full visibility and alacrity with greater control accuracy. A workman in a work basket on a long boom crane generally has limited foot area and must rely upon walls to lean against with which to maintain his balance under working conditions. From a safety viewpoint and for max imum efficiency and assurance it is desirable to provide a basket of substantial height that is pivoted to the crane at or above the center of gravity of the workman, with large recticulations in the sides through which a workman can reach and operate. Such a basket, however, presents ready storage problems when not in use by a workman and also interferes somewhat with operation of the crane from the ground. Moreover, due to the desired depth of the basket, access thereto from the boom can be difficult because of the relative angles between the boom and basket in various working positions and this generally requires that the workman ccupy the basket before the boom is extended or raised aloft. Such conditions not only limit the productive work of the boom but also the efficient operation of the workman himself in operating with the boom as a working unit. Thus working difficulties exist for the workman, and the handling of the boom if the workman cannot move with assurance in and reach around the basket a distance within four or five feet that otherwise would require repeated readjustments of the crane boom a few feet at a time. Although such readjustments could be controlled more expeditiously by the workman in the basket with a remote control panel at the basket, the workman still must remain in the basket at the remote control panel. Moreover, the effect of the remotely controlled adjustments of the boom position is not immediately sensed by the workman because of the flexibility of the long boom of the invention. Often catch-up or overshoot adjustments must be made which either cause a whipping effect with the boom or a jarring contact of the boom or basket with work structures. Possible overshoots are particularly undesirable when working with high voltage power lines and critical installations. Other considerations are also well known to workmen riding the end of a boom including dangers of a foot slipping out of a side access opening of a basket with sway. Closable gates may be of some help but also might be unexpectedly open at a critical time.

INVENTION In the present invention the basket is in effect cir cumferentially complete all the way around the workman and includes ladder rungs outside the access opening to obstruct a free fall. The basket extends to and above the workers center of gravity to keep him on the work platform during erratic movement of the basket, particularly since he can wrap a leg around a stanchion or reticulate member while working or reaching. Access to the basket is safely had through the top opening of the basket by means of ladder sections and hand rails between the basket and boom which automatically ad- 0 just for as much as a variable angle orientation between the boom and basket. The smallest angle that would occur would be at a top boom inclination orientation and the largest angle of divergence from the boom could occur when the boom inclined downwardly for low work in an excavation. In either instance a workman can climb the boom ladder and lower himself into the basket easily and safely on automatically adjusted ladder rungs with hand rails on both sides supported by the arms of the yoke secured to the ends of which the basket is pivoted.

The hoist cable of the crane is supported on the end of the outermost section at the base of the yoke support, which is removable, and when the basket is not in use it is moved by winch and cable to parallel alignment with the yoke for storage. The winch is located close to the ladder rungs where it is readily and conveniently available to a workman either preparing to use or to stow it.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a one man, readily portable, combination crane and aerial work basket which is highly versatile. It can be quickly placed in operation to operate as an extension crane, an aerial ladder, or aerial work platform and can safely be controlled at the base of the crane or at stations remote therefrom either at the basket or at the site of hoist cable operation.

A further object is to provide a crane control station on the crane boom in line with the hoist cable for direct sight operation of he crane which otherwise would be blind to the crane cab and provide a work platform for such operations at levels that can be varied appreciably without endangering the safety of the operator.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outer end of a crane extension boom and ladder having a work platform basket pivotally mounted on it and illustrating how access thereto is attained in guarded safety.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the outer end of the boom showing the sector clamp for securing the work basket in rigid relation with respect to the boom at a sharp angle between them.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating another relative position of the work basket.

FIG. 4 is also a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating by full and broken lines the parts involved with positions of the boom and relative movement in adjusting the work basket orientations, and

FIG. 5 is a schematic showing of a modification of the automatic adjustability of the ladder section interconnecting the boom and basket in which the upper pivotal support of the ladder section comprises a roller running in a track on the extension ladder.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in further detail, the disclosure of application Ser. No. 846,825 is incorporated by reference for the structure, operation of the crane and the extension and contraction of the boom and along with it an extension ladder 24 carried by it in which the forward end of the outermost tube 12 carries a pulley bracket 14 receiving the hoist cable with a drop lead 16 having a weight fall 18 and a grapple hook 20.

Adjacent the outer end of each tube a bracket 22 following the contour thereof is welded to the tube as at 23 (FIG. 3) to support an extension ladder section 24 along the top and spaced thereabove a distance in excess of the distance between adjacent rungs 26 in the ladder. This spacing clears the .boom extending equipment which includes brackets 28 journalling sheaves reeved with extension cable flights 30 as more particularly described in application SerJNo. 846,825.

Hand rails 32 border the ladder sections as supported on the sides 34 by uprights 36. The outer end of each ladder section is thereby secured to and moved by the outer ends of the corresponding boom tubes. The other end of each ladder section carries flanged rollers (not shown) engaging the top edge of the sides of the next lower ladder section. Each outer end also carries a flanged roller 39 on which the sides of a ladder above it, if present, roll to provide support and stability intermediate the ends of the ladder sections.

An end closure plate 40 is welded to the outermost end of the boom just beyond the pulley bracket 14 and to it is fastened by bolts 44 a mating plate 42 to which is welded a yoke 46. The yoke is fabricated of tubular stock to have a U-shape comprising a bottom or cross member 48 and two side arms 50 and 52. The side arms terminate at ends 54 apertured to receive pivot pins 57 and associated therewith parallel sector plates 56 provided with circular slots 58 concentric with the pins 57. Uprights 60 welded to the bottom member 48 carry fabricated elements to provide sides 62 between which a worker can pass protectively beyond the end of the ladder 24 with hand rails 64 along the top that terminate in secured relation with the ends of the side arms 50 and 52 of the yoke 46.

A work basket 70 is pivotally hung on the pivot pins 57 between the yoke side arms 50 and 52 by means of upstanding brackets 72 carrying wing nut-bolt-washer assemblies 74 extending through the circular slots 58 for clamping m6 basket against swinging movement in any selected position desired.

The basket is fabricated of two'vertically disposed, horizontally spaced U-shaped members 76 terminally secured to the brackets 72. Rectangular rings 78 and 78A are secured to the members 76 at vertically spaced points to form and brace the basket. A U-shaped top rail element 86 rigidifies the rings 78 and 78A fore and aft. A formed heavy expanded metal platform 82 with upstanding walls at 84 comprises a platform to carry or catch parts or tools used by the worker. The top rail 86 located at or slightly above the elbows of a worker is welded to the :brackets 72, defines the ,top of the basket, and, if desired, terminates asdownwardly extending hand grasps 88 welded to the upper ring 78A to define a step-up egress opening for the basket.

At the threshold of the egress opening one end of a two section transmission ladder construction 94 pivotally jointed at 91 has the longer section 96 pivotally secured at 92 to the ring 78A at approximately the vertical midpoint of the basket and the shorter section 93 pivotally secured to the uprights a spaced distance above the bottom 48 of the yoke at 92. The longer section is provided with four rungs 97 which includes the rods of the pivots at and 91. The length of the shorter section 93 is approximately the distance between ladder rungs with the rod of the pivot 92 serving as a rung spaced downwardly from the end rung 98 of the outermost section of the extension ladder 24 a distance equal to or a little greater than the distance between rungs 97 of the ladder section 96.

A modification is shown in FIG. 5 in which the shorter section 93 of the transmission ladder shown in FIG. 4 comprises facing channel members 93A welded to the lower side of the top end of the extension ladder 24 to extend therebeyond and receive pivotal rollers 101 journalled on the top rung 91A to provide a moving pivotal support that accommodates the pivotal movement of the basket by rolling between the position at 91A and the position indicated by dotted line 918. A 45 inclination is illustrated in FIG. 5 and stops 103 are provided at opposite ends of the channel members 93A to prevent v disengagement of the pivotal rollings therefrom.

Thus, when the basket is in the relative position shown in dotted lines 99 in FIG. 4, which is generally about the lower limit of the most used upright positions experienced, a person entering or leaving the basket can use the rungs 91 or 98 as top rung stepping rungs for ingress and egress whose spacing varies in a manner as illustrated in FlG. 3 and 5 in which the rung 91 can serve in effect as the last rung on the ladder, same generally being the top rung when the ladder 94 is in use. As the basket orients itself by gravity with respect to the inclination of the boom, the long section 96 moves between the hand rails 64 to provide a ladder and hand rail combination for the safety of a worker entering and leaving the basket when aloft. By way of assisting in the stability of the ladder the sections 93 are elongated as at 100 to slide in guided relation between the lower rail portion 102 of the sides 62.

Fastened to one of the sides 62 is a hand winch 104 controlling a line 106 terminally secured to the bottom of the work basket so that the basket can be moved to a stored position between the arms 52 of the yoke, out of way when the drop lead 16 and hook 20 are being used without worker assistance from the basket. Otherwise, for the convenience of the worker a portable control box 108 is secured to the basket and can be manipulated to control all functions of the crane from the basket, the control box 108 being a mobile one for 7 remote ground control when detached from the basket 7 for that purpose.

After the crane has been moved to a worksite and its base (not shown) shored, as by outriggers, the boom can be raised from its transportation cradle and extended. The worker can climb into the basket before, during or after the extension is made. After climbing along the ladder to the basket with the assitance of the hand rails, the basket is manually released to assume a vertical orientation by releasing the winch 104 whereupon the worker climbs down into the basket and tightens the wing-nut-bolt assembly 74 to stabilize the basket. A transparent cover (not shown) of dielectric material can be attached to the basket if desired for weather or electrical protection.

Having thus described salient features and structure embodying the invention it is understood how the basket is pivotally mounted on the yoke and stabilized as a work platform with a ladder and hand rails extending thereto for easy and safe in and out access to the basket regardless of the angle existing between the yoke and the basket, and if desired, the pivoting parts of the ladders can also be clamped to serve as a basket stabilizing means with the band around the middle of the basket preferably serving as the first step with the rungs thereafter substantially evenly spaced therefrom for ladder use. When not in use, the basket is easily stored out of way for the boom to serve as a crane operated from its base or a position remote from the base.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a power boom,

a ladder support on the boom,

a ladder carried by said support,

means secured to the end of the boom having spaced supports,

a work basket pivoted at its top to and between said supports for relative angular orientation with respect to the boom,

ladder means bridging said ladder and work basket including a first member pivotally connected to said basket at one end and a second member supported at one end at a fixed point adjacent to and within a step from the end rung of the ladder, and

means connecting said members at their other ends to provide relative movement therebetween to vary the distance between their said one ends and accommodate relative angular orientation between said boom and basket.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means is a pivotal connection movable with respect to said ladder.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said pivotal connection moves in an arc and includes the endmost rung on said ladder.

4. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said pivot includes a ladder rung spaced the distance of a step from the end rung of said ladder when said angle is approximately 45.

5. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said second member comprises track carried by said ladder and said interconnecting means includes pivotal means movable along said track.

6. The combination called for in claim 2 in which said pivotal connections include rungs as part of said ladder means.

7. A crane comprising,

an extendible boom,

an extension ladder carried by the boom a spaced distance above the boom,

yoke means secured to the end of the boom and including a spacer fastened to the end of the boom and two spaced arms defining co-axial pivots at their ends,

a depending basket defining a work platform pivotally supported adjacent to its upper end on said pivots at an angle to the boom inclination,

means interconnecting the extension ladder and a lower portion of the basket including a collapsible ladder accommodating relative movement of the basket,

means to secure the basket against swaying in the vertical plane of the boom, and

hand rail means extending above and along both sides of said extension ladder and collapsible ladder.

8. The crane defined in claim 7 in which said hand rail means is continuous and terminates at said yoke arms above said basket.

9. The crane defined in claim 7 in which said basket comprises reticulated walls surrounding and supporting the platform and defining a step up basket access opening facing said collapsible ladder.

10. A crane comprising a boom,

a yoke means on the end of said boom defining horizontally spaced arms,

a depending basket pivoted to and between said spaced arms and having a step-in opening on the boom side,

collapsible ladder means supported at one end on the basket at the bottom of said opening and at the other end on said yoke means, and

extension ladder means on said boom terminating proximate to a rung on an intermediate portion of said collapsible ladder a spaced distance above said yoke.

11. The combination defined in claim 10 in which said extension ladder means is spaced above said boom and yoke means a distance at least the distance between two rungs of the collapsible ladder means.

, 12. The combination defined in claim 10 including a winch carried by said boom in close proximity to the collapsible ladder including a cable secured at its free end to the basket to draw the basket into parallel orientation with said yoke arms in a direction collapsing said ladder means.

13. A portable power crane having a boom of telescoping extendible sections,

upstanding spacer brackets on the upper ends of each section,

extension ladder sections fastened at their upper ends to said spacer brackets a distance above the boom section at least equal to the distance between rungs on the ladder,

means for supporting the lower ends of the upper ladder section on the upper end of the next lower ladder section,

telescoping hand rails carried by the ladder sections,

work basket means pivotally mounted to the outer end of the endmost boom section having a rail higher than a mans center of gravity and an access opening in alignment with said ladder,

means pivotally interconnecting said basket means at said access opening and the end of said outer ladder section including an adjustable ladder, and

hand rail means bordering both sides of said extension ladder and adjustable ladder means extending to a point proximate to the top of said basket means. 

1. In combination a power boom, a ladder support on the boom, a ladder carried by said support, means secured to the end of the boom having spaced supports, a work basket pivoted at its top to and between said supports for relative angular orientation with respect to the boom, ladder means bridging said ladder and work basket including a first member pivotally connected to said basket at one end and a second member supported at one end at a fixed point adjacent to and within a step from the end rung of the ladder, and means connecting said members at their other ends to provide relative movement therebetween to vary the distance between their said one ends and accommodate relative angular orientation between said boom and basket.
 2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said interconnecting means is a pivotal connection movable with respect to said ladder.
 3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said pivotal connection moves in an arc and includes the endmost rung on said ladder.
 4. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said pivot includes a ladder rung spaced the distance of a step from the end rung of sAid ladder when said angle is approximately 45*.
 5. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said second member comprises track carried by said ladder and said interconnecting means includes pivotal means movable along said track.
 6. The combination called for in claim 2 in which said pivotal connections include rungs as part of said ladder means.
 7. A crane comprising, an extendible boom, an extension ladder carried by the boom a spaced distance above the boom, yoke means secured to the end of the boom and including a spacer fastened to the end of the boom and two spaced arms defining co-axial pivots at their ends, a depending basket defining a work platform pivotally supported adjacent to its upper end on said pivots at an angle to the boom inclination, means interconnecting the extension ladder and a lower portion of the basket including a collapsible ladder accommodating relative movement of the basket, means to secure the basket against swaying in the vertical plane of the boom, and hand rail means extending above and along both sides of said extension ladder and collapsible ladder.
 8. The crane defined in claim 7 in which said hand rail means is continuous and terminates at said yoke arms above said basket.
 9. The crane defined in claim 7 in which said basket comprises reticulated walls surrounding and supporting the platform and defining a step up basket access opening facing said collapsible ladder.
 10. A crane comprising a boom, a yoke means on the end of said boom defining horizontally spaced arms, a depending basket pivoted to and between said spaced arms and having a step-in opening on the boom side, collapsible ladder means supported at one end on the basket at the bottom of said opening and at the other end on said yoke means, and extension ladder means on said boom terminating proximate to a rung on an intermediate portion of said collapsible ladder a spaced distance above said yoke.
 11. The combination defined in claim 10 in which said extension ladder means is spaced above said boom and yoke means a distance at least the distance between two rungs of the collapsible ladder means.
 12. The combination defined in claim 10 including a winch carried by said boom in close proximity to the collapsible ladder including a cable secured at its free end to the basket to draw the basket into parallel orientation with said yoke arms in a direction collapsing said ladder means.
 13. A portable power crane having a boom of telescoping extendible sections, upstanding spacer brackets on the upper ends of each section, extension ladder sections fastened at their upper ends to said spacer brackets a distance above the boom section at least equal to the distance between rungs on the ladder, means for supporting the lower ends of the upper ladder section on the upper end of the next lower ladder section, telescoping hand rails carried by the ladder sections, work basket means pivotally mounted to the outer end of the endmost boom section having a rail higher than a man''s center of gravity and an access opening in alignment with said ladder, means pivotally interconnecting said basket means at said access opening and the end of said outer ladder section including an adjustable ladder, and hand rail means bordering both sides of said extension ladder and adjustable ladder means extending to a point proximate to the top of said basket means. 